Jazz Articles about Hugh Ragin

Hugh Ragin: Fanfare & Fiesta

by AAJ Staff
March 1, 2001

Until 1999, Hugh Ragin was vastly under-recorded. Appearing sporadically with David Murray, Anthony Braxton, D.D. Jackson or Roscoe Mitchell, Ragin inserted his individualistic style into his sounds, provoking an undercurrent of demand for more fully realized work. Justin Time followed up on Ragin's promise when it released An Afternoon In Harlem last year, a message-laden project that combined the energy of Harlem with Sun Ra-inspired spirituality and ruminations about escapes from slavery.On Fanfare & Fiesta, messages are laid ...

Hugh Ragin: An Afternoon in Harlem

by AAJ Staff
July 1, 2000

Trumpeter Hugh Ragin made this recording in late '98 in a (mostly) quartet format featuring pianist Craig Taborn, bassist Jaribu Shahid, and drummer Bruce Cox. The tunes, all Ragin originals, range from the sauntering bluesy strut of the title track to fast bebop to free jazz, concluding with a Sun Ra-inspired avant garde accompaniment to poetry read by Amiri Baraka. His liner notes establish the suite as a celebration of life in Harlem.

Ragin obviously plays the starring role here: ...